


A Cure for Sleep Troubles

by MageOfLight



Category: Undertale
Genre: Fluff, M/M, honeymustard - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-22
Updated: 2017-03-09
Packaged: 2018-08-23 21:53:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8344204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MageOfLight/pseuds/MageOfLight
Summary: US!Papyrus has a nightmare. UF!Sans helps him calm down. Fluff ensues.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KayomiKitten](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KayomiKitten/gifts).



> yeah, the title is dumb. i am asgore-level at naming things. i'm sorry. haha

Sans had always been a bit of a light sleeper, a habit that had developed due to his time protecting boss when he'd been a baby bones. His light sleeping also prevented him from getting dusted on more than one occasion when he'd fallen asleep at his station.  
  
He was once again grateful for it as he was woken by restless movement from the bed above him. He'd moved from Blue's room to Papyrus' room due to never getting any sleep with his restless alternate and he sighed as he wondered if maybe he'd just be better off sleeping on the couch, seeing as he'd gone from a restless non-sleeper to restless sleeper. He sat up on his mattress with a yawn, rubbing his eye sockets sleepily before glancing over at Papyrus. His eyes widened as he took in the sight of Papyrus thrashing weakly against his blankets, a pained expression twisting his sleeping face. Nightmares. Honestly, Sans should have suspected as much.  
  
With a sigh, he untangled himself from his bedding and got up, moving to sit on Papyrus' bed. He reached out and grasped the other's shoulder, shaking him lightly. "oi. papyrus, wake up. it's just a bad dream," he uttered, raising his voice slightly from his usual rough drawl.  
  
Papyrus' sockets flew open, orange magic lighting up his sockets in the dark and wildly locking on Sans. "...R-Red?" he asked, voice trembling and horse.  
  
"yeah. i'm here. blue's just in the next room. everyone is alive," Sans replied, attempting to be reassuring. He wasn't sure, exactly, what Papyrus' nightmare was about, but he sure as hell had a good idea and chose his words accordingly. The look Papyrus gave him at that told him that he was likely correct.  
  
"...how...?"  
  
"alternate universe, pap. i was the only one that remembered the resets back home," Red replied with a shrug. He didn't need to say anything else as Papyrus slowly sat up.  
  
"shit, i'm sorry, Red... it's hell," Papyrus whispered, shivering. No, he was trembling uncontrollably. Sans sighed, shaking his head, his thoughts going to his own brother briefly as he wondered if he was okay.  
  
"yeah, but i'm a little better equipped ta deal with the kid's unpredictable bullshit than you are," he responded slowly, looking away. Shit, it really bothered him to see the normally calm, level-headed Papyrus such a mess. He wanted to comfort him, a weird, but at the same time utterly normal sentiment. He used to comfort his own brother all the time when they were little, after all. Still, the desire felt a little different with this Papyrus, who was the same age as him and suffered the same bullshit but hurt more for it.  
  
After a moment of silence, Sans gave into the urge, leaning forward and putting a tentative hand on Papyrus' shoulder. "hey, pap, i know it's tough keeping up the facade fer yer little brother, but ya don't have ta with me. i _know_ already." That appeared to do it, and Papyrus slumped bonelessly against Sans with a nearly silent sob. Sans wrapped his arms around him in response, one hand going up to stroke the longer, narrower skull that was pressed to his shoulder, the other rubbing Papyrus' back as he cried quietly. There wasn't really all that much he could do in all honesty, but he could provide a shoulder to cry on and a warm, comforting touch. He hoped that would be enough.  
  
Eventually, the trembling slowed to a stop and Papyrus' breathing evened out. Sans at first thought that Papyrus had cried himself to sleep, but then he moved, carefully pulling back. Sans shifted, ignoring the soaked spot on his shoulder while attempting to get a better look at Papyrus' face. He was smiling now, and Sans let out a tiny relieved breath. "...thanks, Red. I think I needed that," Papyrus said softly, and Sans grinned.  
  
"no problem, pap. glad that i could help a little, even if it was only letting ya cry it out," Sans replied, his grin gentling into a soft smile without his input.  
  
Everything was silent for a while before Papyrus let out a heavy breath, then opened his mouth to speak. "stars, I know you want to go home, but..." Papyrus sighed, his smile falling. "I'm still really glad you're here. I'm glad I got the chance to meet you."  
  
Sans frowned, rubbing the back of his skull and looking away. He did want to go home, but after the past several months of being with this universe's Papyrus and Sans, he was starting to feel more at home with them than he ever had in his own world. "...truth be told, only reason i wanna go back at all is fer boss. i hate leaving him alone there. if there's any chance at all i can come back here after we figure out how ta get me back..." He trailed off, not looking back. Would Papyrus even want him to come back after leaving? He figured the blueberry would welcome him back with open arms, but he wasn't so sure about Papyrus.  
  
"...you'd want to return here with your brother? would he want to come here? I thought you said he was captain of the royal guard. figured he wouldn't want to give that up."  
  
Sans shrugged. "he has enough experience as both a guard and a leader that he'd probably make it just fine here. all we have ta do is make certain that he understands not ta kill. won't be that hard. he's always hated killing as much as i hate it, so he'd probably be way happier here, anyway," he replied, then jumped as Papyrus started laughing. "...what's so funny?"  
  
"n-nothing... just... how did you and your brother have the shit luck of living in a world like yours? fuck, Red, if you and your bro can get back here, we'd be happy to have you." Sans looked back at Papyrus finally, then grinned wide at the look on the taller skeleton's face.  
  
"yeah?"  
  
"yeah. you know Sans likes having you around, even if he complains all the time about you being as lazy as I am... and honestly? I like having you around a lot as well. I haven't exactly been looking forward to sending you home," Papyrus admitted, mirroring Sans' earlier action of rubbing the back of his skull and looking away. "I..."  
  
"...heh. i get it, pap. thanks fer telling me," Sans replied, plopping a hand into Papyrus' shoulder before dragging him into another hug. Papyrus, though confused, didn't fight it. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Sans in return, only to have Sans flop them both onto the bed with a chuckle.  
  
"...uh...?" Papyrus blinked at Sans, who grinned impishly, followed by a yawn. He wasn't letting go, either.  
  
"i'm tired, ya look exhausted, and if i don't hold onta ya, yer probably gonna start tossing and turning in yer sleep again and i won't get any sleep once again," Sans explained, grin morphing into a smirk. "so, we're gonna try this and see if it works any better."  
  
Papyrus raised a browbone, but then shrugged as best he could while still keeping his arms around Sans. "okay. can't fault that logic," he replied, yawning himself. He was really too tired to argue, even if he'd wanted to.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

  
Sans hummed cheerfully to himself as he left his room. Morning had dawned dim and snowy, but the Magnificent Sans would never let the weather get him down! He beamed as he made his way to his brother's room, intent on waking up his brother and Red for the day. He swung the door open only to freeze as he took in the sight that was there to greet him. Red's bed was abandoned while Papy's bed held both skeletons, sleeping more peacefully than he'd seen in a very long time. Papy was spooning Red, arms wrapped securely around the smaller, fanged skeleton, and both of them were smiling softly in their sleep. The door opening hadn't even remotely disturbed either of them, even though Sans knew Red to be an exceptionally light sleeper. Grinning, Sans closed the door with a quiet, "Mweh heh heh." He could wake the sleepybones pair later when breakfast tacos were ready.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the previously promised chap 2 - rescuing boss, yay! might be a third chapter eventually, but for now, this is it.

Pretty much the moment Papyrus got home, he slumped down on the couch, staring at nothing. It had been nearly an entire year since his brother utterly vanished with no trace. Months with no sign. No one had even been bragging about having dusted the Great and Terrible Papyrus' low HP brother. He'd know if they had, since he'd had Alphys checking under threat of dusting Undyne (he'd never do it, but it worked as a threat for the crazy lizard scientist). He sighed, raking his phalanges over his skull. He wasn't sure what had happened to Sans, but he just felt that somehow, his brother was still alive somewhere. For now, it was just somewhere he couldn't reach. With that thought in mind, he managed to doze off into a light sleep right there on the lumpy couch.

\--------------------------------------------

"there. that should do it... I hope, anyway." Papyrus sat back with a grin, looking over his shoulder at his brother's edgy alternate. Sans grinned back, passing Papyrus a cloth.  
  
"well then, what say we test this bad boy out?" Sans asked, nearly bouncing with excited energy.  
  
"you know how to work the remote, right, Red?" Papyrus asked in return, and Sans nodded, picking up the device in question. They both stood back, Sans booting up the machine into a test sequence. Now all they had to do was wait.  
  
When it was done, both of them shot pleased grins at each other, though both of them looked a little sad. "...this isn't goodbye, pap," Sans whispered, a hopeful denial over the possible permanence of his leaving. He just... needed to get his brother and come back.  
  
"yeah, I know. but... just in case," Papyrus leaned in, pressing a skeleton kiss to Sans' forehead, causing the smaller's face to flush a bright crimson. Papyrus laughed as Sans grumped, turning away and staring down at the remote.  
  
"...see you," Sans whispered, and Papyrus put his hand on his shoulder before stepping back and shortcutting out of the room. Sans let out a sad sigh the moment Papyrus was gone, then started the machine. A few moments later, there was a bright flash of light. When it cleared, the basement lab of Underswap was empty of life, the remote sitting on the counter.

\--------------------------------------------

"...ah, fuck... did that even work?" Sans growled as he sat up and looked around. He really hated that. The lab he was sitting in now was identical to Papyrus' aside from the lights which flickered weakly. This was most likely his own lab, then. Face morphing into a grin, he pulled out the blueprints Papyrus had given him, then went to tackle his machine. It needed to be fixed properly if he was going to get back to the universe he'd come to call home.  
  
Once he was done, he sat back with a smirk, reaching for the remote to run a test sequence. It went as perfectly as Papyrus' machine had, and he practically beamed. He could get back. Now all he needed to do was get his brother and they could both go _home_.  
  
Sans put the remote on the counter, then shortcutted his way into the upper levels of the house before wrinkling his face up in disgust. It smelled like charcoaled pasta and the place was filled with smoke. What had his baby brother even been doing? He coughed, then decided abruptly that not breathing for a bit was a good idea as he made his way into the kitchen. The oven was on. He turned it off, then opened the kitchen window as wide as it would go before opening the oven door. Smoke billowed out, and he shook his head. When it cleared, a charred and blackened pan was revealed, flickering with fire. Sans resisted the urge to sigh and simply grabbed it with his magic, tossing it out the window. There was no saving that pan, anyway.  
  
That delt with, the small skeleton allowed himself to focus on other, more pressing matters. Where was his brother? How much time had passed since he'd been unceremoniously dumped in another universe via a bad shortcut? For him, it'd been nearly a year, but he had no way of knowing if time flowed the same between both universes. If it did, was Boss even okay? He knew that time at home together was his brother's only form of stress relief. Nearly a year apart would have been hell for him.  
  
Sighing, he decided to do a quick sweep of the house, though he doubted Boss was there. The near kitchen fire he'd prevented said that Boss had left in a rush. He'd just have to wait until Boss got home.  
  
...or call him. Sans nearly smacked himself as he remembered his phone. It'd probably work now that he was back. Tugging it out of his inventory, he grinned as it lit up. He quickly dialled his brother's number and held the phone up to his ear cavity.  
  
Ring... Ring... Ring... The longer it rang, the more Sans' smile dropped. Why wasn't Boss answering? He never took longer than two rings to answer. When it went to voicemail, Sans snarled and hung up. Something had happened to his brother, and he was going to find out what. With hardly a thought, he grabbed for a shortcut, his magic bridging a gap between there and Alphys' lab before he disappeared with a quiet 'pop'.  
  
The flash of red light from his shortcut obviously startled Alphys, because when he focused on her, she was leaning back against her desk, panting and staring wide-eyed at him. He smirked. "hey there, crazy lizard. i need ya ta do something fer me. now." It wasn't a request. The Gaster Blasters floating over his shoulders spoke volumes to that.  
  
"S-Sans? Where have you _been_?" Alphys asked, then yelped as Sans wordlessly raised a hand, his eyes flaring crimson. "R-right. Later then," she quickly backtracked, eyeing the blasters. "What do you need?"  
  
"i need ya ta tell me where my brother is. he left food in the oven ta nearly set the house on fire... and that is not like my responsible baby brother at all. ya get what i'm saying don't ya?" Sans replied, leaning casually against another counter, his blasters hovering obediently over him, a constant threat. He knew better than to trust Alphys.  
  
"Sans, I'd like to remind you that you've been missing for nearly a year. Your brother had me looking for you and was holding the life of... someone important to me over my head. What makes you think I'd want to find him? And you can't dust _me_ , because if you fire those things in here, you'll destroy everything," Alphys growled, only for her face to fall when Sans smirked.  
  
"undyne, right? alphys, i'm more than powerful enough ta take that psychotic fish out if i wanted ta. i'm way more powerful than my little brother, and i'm sure yer well aware'a that," Sans replied, tone threatening. "but, i have some really good incentive fer ya. ya find boss and tell me where he is so i can go get him, and we'll both be outta yer scales. undyne gets back her position as captain of the guard and no more skeletons threatening ta dust yer crush." The bait was perfect. Alphys gaped at him.  
  
"And why would Papyrus give up his position of power after he fought so hard for it?" she asked, expression disbelieving.  
  
"because we won't be here anymore," Sans replied, then scowled at the look of curiosity on Alphys' face. "that's all i'm telling ya, alphys. find my brother, now, or i _will_ go dust the fish."  
  
"...r-right..." Alphys sighed, turning to her computers and started flicking through. Image after image flashed by until finally, her cameras focused on the younger skeleton.  
  
A sound of horror escaped Sans, and Alphys didn't even have time to turn around before the pop of him taking a shortcut was heard behind her. She decided to watch as Sans reappeared in view of her camera. The red light of his shortcut was quickly replaced with the bright, eye-searing light of his blasters firing. The sound of screams filled the room from the speakers, which she quickly turned down, wincing as monsters were dusted under the show of power from Sans' blasters.  
  
Not one of the offending monsters escaped unharmed. Sans' LV had to have gone up at least once from that. Her attention shifted to Papyrus, who was strung up by his arms, a thick metal collar around his throat. For a monster like him, one who's magic held his body together, a magic suppressing collar like that had to be hell. She winced again, this time in sympathy. For all he'd put her through hell since Sans had vanished, she understood. She'd have done the same if it were Undyne that'd been missing and someone else had the means to find her, after all. Alphys grabbed her phone and dialed Sans. Against her better judgement, she'd help them, pretending it was the promise of them leaving for good that was pushing her to do so.  
  
She watched as Sans reached into his inventory, pulling out his phone. "alphys? whaddya want?"  
  
"Bring Papyrus here. I can get that collar off him," Alphys said, then hung up before Sans could question her. She got several tools ready, as well as grabbing up food and drink to heal the tall skeleton, since he didn't look to be in very good shape. Once she was done, she checked her camera to see Sans fighting to get Papyrus down without hurting him further. He wasn't doing a very good job. She could see dust flaking from his injuries and winced. But then Papyrus was down and Sans disappeared with his brother, reappearing moments later in Alphys' lab.  
  
"...just get this piece of shit off him, then we're leaving," Sans whispered, nearly cradling his brother close.  
  
"Don't be ridiculous. He won't make it wherever you're going without being healed," Alphys scoffed, then shoved a mug of tea at Sans. "Surely, you can get him to drink that. I'll get the collar off once he doesn't look like he's going to dust if someone looks at him wrong."  
  
Sans stared blankly at her for a moment, eyelights out, but he still took the tea. He took a quick sip of it himself to test it, and Alphys tried to feel insulted, but it wouldn't come. He then carefully encouraged his unconscious brother to take the liquid. Alphys refilled the cup three more times before deciding Papyrus looked stable enough to work with and motioned for Sans to move Papyrus to a table she'd set up while waiting. Tools were littered around the area, which he eyed warily, but he still followed her instructions. She knew he'd be watching closely, though. That was fine.  
  
Sans sighed as he stepped back, watching as Alphys worked. Tool after tool were picked up and discarded, until _finally_ , the collar dropped off Boss' neck with a clank. Relief surged through him as Boss groaned softly, shifting weakly as his eyes flickered open. Alphys seemed to waste no time in shoving some sort of food bar into Boss' slightly opened mouth and Sans had to fight back a laugh at the sleepily disgruntled look on Boss' face as he chewed. The food seemed to wake him up more, and he shifted, turning his head to stare at Alphys. "...how the fuck did I get here?" he asked, voice quiet and horse. Sans winced at that. Boss was rarely _this_ quiet. He must still be in fairly bad shape.  
  
"Ask Sans," Alphys responded, grinning slightly. Boss fought to sit up, eyelights darting until they came to rest on Sans, who grinned weakly and waved.  
  
"hey, boss, how're ya feeling?" Sans asked, only to let out a startled 'oof' moments later as Boss somehow worked up the energy to launch himself from the table and nearly flatten Sans to the ground, hugging him close, Alphys be dammed. "whoa there, boss. ya only just got a magic suppressing collar removed. take it easy," Sans murmured, patting Boss' back. He could feel tears soaking into his clothing and winced, looking up at Alphys. "sorry ta get help and run, alphys, but as ya can see, boss isn't in all that great of shape. say hi to yer psycho fish fer us. we're gonna head off now," Sans told her, and she nodded, pointedly not looking at the current Captain of the Royal Guard breaking down on Sans' shoulder. He shot her a grateful smile, then used another shortcut to take him and his brother home.  
  
They landed on the leather sofa in the basement lab and Sans let out a breath, rubbing Boss' back and skull soothingly. "i missed ya, too, paps," he whispered, nuzzling his baby brother's skull with a sigh.  
  
"Where did you _go_ , brother?" Boss asked. "Not even Alphys could find you on her cameras."  
  
Sans sighed. "i was... home. kinda anyway. we're both gonna go there. no more fighting ta stay alive every day. where we're going, it's not kill or be killed. it's safe ta love and no one is gonna use yer loved ones against ya... only thing ya have ta deal with is weird nicknames. they call me 'red' there."  
  
Boss looked baffled, raising his head to stare in confusion at his brother. "What are you even talking about?"  
  
Sans laughed. "ya'll see. ya'll like it there, i'm sure... and if ya don't? well, we can always find somewhere else to settle," Sans offered, despite his own feelings on the matter. His brother's happiness was more important than how he felt about the other Papyrus. "all i know is that i refuse ta stay here. especially after what i came back ta find after finally managing ta get here," he whispered with a sigh.  
  
Despite his obvious confusion, Boss nodded, smiling slightly. "Alright, Sans. We'll see," he said, sitting up and backing away so that Sans could get up.  
  
Sans sat, eyeing his brother and wincing. Boss was still a mess and would need quite a bit of tending to avoid even more scaring. He wished he could call ahead... but that wasn't an option, sadly. Cross-universe phone calls were not a possibility. He chuckled slightly at his thoughts, then stood. "i need ta make sure this room is destroyed after we leave. can't chance anyone finding the machine considering it's locked onta our new home and most monsters from this shit hole can't be trusted ta not go on a dusting spree," he growled softly, digging around in boxes, cupboards, and drawers.  
  
Boss watched, baffled, as Sans worked, browridges raised. Several times, he used a shortcut to leave, then came back, sometimes returning with food or drink that he absently shoved in Boss' direction, which Boss ate with little complaint even though he could see exhaustion starting to wear on Sans' face. He knew Sans wouldn't be distracted from what he was doing. Finally, several devices were planted around strategic places in the room. Bombs. Sans was going to completely destroy his lab. Sans shortcutted a couple more times, returning each time with a large bag. The first, he passed to Boss, who discovered it was full of things from the house. Clothing and certain items he cared about and would probably miss if they were leaving permanently.  
  
The second bag he kept, adding what looked like a photo album from one of the drawers before arming the bombs in the room. "welp, this is it. ready ta get the fuck out of here?" Sans asked, grinning. Boss nodded, even though he wasn't completely sure about all this. "oh! one more thing before we leave, bro. the place we're going? absolutely no killing." Boss' eyes widened in surprise. "right? but seriously. we are leaving this 'kill or be killed' bullshit behind. well, okay, besides temmie... but he's an oddball and more than a bit of a freak... kinda like flowey, but in reverse, actually." Sans made a face, glancing up at the exit to the lab. "...actually feel kinda bad for leaving him and the kid behind, now that i think about it. shit." Sans grumble to himself a moment before putting down his bag with a sigh.  
  
"...Sans. You're talking about Frisk, right?" Boss suddenly asked. Sans froze, then nodded. "Thought so. The human escaped with their flower friend ages ago. I helped them leave," the taller skeleton said with a sigh. "They fought me on it, too. Wanted to stick around and wait to make sure you were okay. How the human knew about you is beyond me, but... it took some doing, and a bit of clever costume work, but I made sure they'd escape the barrier."  
  
Sans felt the tension escape him and he smiled, relieved. While he knew Frisk hadn't exactly had the best life above ground, they were safer up there. And now they had Flowey to support them as well. They'd be fine, provided they didn't reset again. He hoped they didn't. "well then, shall we go? we don't have much time before those go off." Sans picked up his bag again, shouldering it, then scooped up the remote for the machine. Boss nodded and Sans grinned, pressing a series of buttons on the remote before setting it down next to one of the bombs. Seconds later, there was a flash of light that left the lab empty.  
  
Two minutes after, the bombs went off, destroying everything left behind in a roar of an explosion that shook Snowdin and caused the skeleton brothers' house to collapse into the resulting hole. No one would ever figure out what happened to them, except Dr. Alphys, who had a vague idea, though she kept it to herself.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah... i don't know why i didn't post this earlier. it's apparently been finished for a while. i think it was maybe because the day i finished it, i'd already posted something? and i like to only post one thing a day, so this got shoved off and forgotten. orz

Sans woke first, laying on the lab floor and groaned. The lights were bright overhead and burned his sockets. He reflexively closed them, then rolled over onto his side and pushed himself up. "fuck, i never wanna do that again," he muttered, looking around through squinted sockets. His eyelights landed on Boss, who was laying in a heap draped limply over his bag. The sight was comical, but he bit back the urge to laugh and shuffled over to shake his brother's shoulder. "hey, boss. wake up," he said softly.  
  
Boss groaned, then blinked open his sockets and shrugged Sans' hand off his shoulder gently before sitting up. "I'd say that didn't appear to work, if not for the lights working properly and the lack of bombs," he quipped, looking around. Sans laughed.  
  
"yeah. our labs are pretty much identical," Sans replied, standing up, then offered Boss a hand up. Boss accepted Sans' aid, and soon he was on his feet, lifted his bag back onto his shoulder.  
  
"So, is the person this lab belongs to expecting us?" the taller asked, staring at his brother.  
  
"...eh... kinda? neither of us knew if i'd be able to get back or not. all depended on if i could fix my machine." Sans sighed, shaking his head. "well, he'll be getting a surprise, anyway. and so will ya if i don't actually give ya a proper explanation." He paused, laughing. "we've gone and traveled ta an alternate universe and our hosts are alternate versions of ourselves. i think ya'll at the very least get along well with the blueberry," the shorter skeleton said with a soft laugh.  
  
Boss stared with a browridge raised, but then seemed to be willing to take Sans' words at face value, because he shrugged, looking faintly interested. "Well then, are you going to take me to meet them?" he asked.  
  
Sans grinned. "heh, yeah," he replied, then paused, giving his brother a once over, frowning. "...we're gonna have ta take ya ta see dr. undyne later if you wanna get away with minimal scaring from that mess..." he muttered.  
  
" _Doctor_ Undyne?" Boss asked, both browridges arched up now.  
  
Sans blinked, then laughed. "right, right, ya wouldn't know. things are a little switched around in this universe. alphys is captain of the royal guard and undyne is the queen's royal scientist. also, grillby's is somewhere in hotland, while muffet's cafe is here in snowdin. this world's papyrus is more like me, while my alternate self is, well... like a really bubbly version of ya. also, not in the royal guard. most people tend to baby him a little. maybe you can help with that because he's not incompetent in the slightest and it aggravates him ta no end. too nice ta lash out in his frustration, though," he explained, sighing and shaking his head slightly.  
  
Boss looked thoughtful. "This certainly is an interesting place you've brought us, Sans," he said, speaking softly, thoughtfully. "How did you come to be here, though? You never explained why you left and didn't return for so long..."  
  
Sans sighed, plopping down on the couch and Boss sat down next to him. "okay, so ya know my shortcuts, right?" Boss nodded. "well, they take me through a kind of... anti-space we call the 'void'. it exists, and yet it doesn't. there isn't one void for each universe, either. it's a connection point between all existing universes. papy and i figure i got caught in someone else's slipstream through the void and got knocked off the 'safe' path i take when i'm using a shortcut... thus leading to a bad shortcut that dumped me in this universe instead of our original one." He paused, making sure Boss was following. "as for why i was gone so long... there was no way ta repeat the accident that yanked me from our universe to this one, so we had ta go the round-about way and fix Papy's machine. it took a long time to get right, unfortunately."  
  
Boss nodded slowly. It made sense. There was no way Sans would have just left him alone for so long with no explanation otherwise. "I'm glad you were able to come for me."  
  
"shit, i'm just glad i got there in time. ya were... when i saw ya on the screen in alphys' lab... stars, i thought ya were gonna dust. i'm just thankful alphys decided ta be nice and help get that blasted collar off. ya were falling ta dust in my hands..." Sans replied, voice quiet and shaking. He'd been terrified. "...i don't know what i woulda done if i'd gotten back and ya were..." He trailed off, tears spilling from his sockets. Boss' sockets widened, and he quickly, but carefully, pulled his older brother into a gentle hug, stroking his skull soothingly.  
  
"But you made it, brother. I'm here, safe. You got there in time," he whispered, voice low and as soothing as he could make it. He continued his attempts to calm his brother, even as Sans sobbed quietly into Boss' shoulder, shaking as the horror of the events set in. Eventually, though, he cried himself out, quietly gripping at Boss' scarf as he let the gentle petting finish calming him. "Are you all right now, Sans?"  
  
"y-yeah... thanks, bro..." Sans whispered, pulling back and rubbing at his face to get the tear stains off. "heh... papy's gonna be wondering why i was crying. shit," he commented, chuckling weakly.  
  
Boss canted his head, eyeing his brother. "Why do you call the other me 'Papy'?" he asked.  
  
"eh? oh. it's what blue calls him, and i guess it kinda rubbed off on me? i either call him papy or paps... but paps is _yer_ nickname when i'm not calling ya 'boss' or 'bro', so now that i have you back, well," Sans replied, chuckling. Boss nodded and then stood, holding out a hand for his brother.  
  
"Well, now that the serious conversation is over, shall we go meet our alternate selves?" he asked, grinning as Sans smiled and accepted the hand up. Both of them scooped up their bags with their free hands, then Sans grinned.  
  
"come on. i know a shortcut." Crimson light swallowed them up, and in a flash, they were gone from the lab.

\--------------------------------------------

The pair of fanged skeletons reappeared moments later in the middle of an empty living room. Papyrus blinked, looking around curiously. The house was both familiar and not, bearing the same layout with the same shape to all the furniture, but the colours were all different. Instead of a black and red colour-scheme, the room was an eye-searing mess of colours. The carpet was bright green and yellow in obnoxious zigzags that made Papyrus' head spin to look at too long. The walls were orange with cyan accents to make it all worse. Thankfully, the furniture was more tasteful. The lumpy couch was a dark green, and the tables were all made of a dark-stained wood.  
  
Sans, noting the look on Boss' face, chuckled. "it was worse when i got here. i convinced them after a couple months ta replace their tables and shit. i personally reupholstered the couch, too. that thing was an eye-searing lime green before." Boss' face scrunched up at the thought, and Sans burst out laughing. "anyway, have a seat. seems like papy headed off after i left, so we have time before they get back," he told his brother. Boss took his advice, setting his bag down on the floor and sitting down on the couch.  
  
Sans nodded to himself, content that Boss would relax and rest. He then turned around and went to the kitchen. A quick glance at the time told him that he had maybe half an hour before Blue and Papy got off shift. Might as well surprise them, even if he was only preparing leftovers.

\--------------------------------------------

Papyrus sighed as he and Sans walked through Snowdin. They were both silent, a little on the melancholy side. Perhaps it was maybe a bit pathetic, but Papyrus already deeply missed Red, and it was clear Sans missed him already as well. "Do you think he'll ever come back, Papy?" Sans asked quietly, drooping the slightest amount.  
  
"t'be honest... I dunno, bro," Papyrus replied with a soft sigh. "I'd like to think he will, but we have no idea if his machine is fixable or even works the same way." Sans drooped a little further at that reply but then shook himself, straightening.  
  
"Well! Certainly, Red would not want us to pout and mope about! The Magnificent Sans will not stand for any more sulking! If Red returns, we, of course, will welcome him back with open arms, but until then, we will continue on with our lives like normal!" Sans announced, puffing out his chest with his hands on his hips, his bandana fluttering in a non-existent breeze.  
  
Papyrus laughed, rubbing the top of his little brother's head affectionately. "you got it, bro. we'll just have to be tough until Red returns," he replied, though his words weren't quite as strong as Sans'. It would take a while for him to get over Red leaving, he was sure... but he'd do it. Sans was right. Red wouldn't want him to spend all his time moping. He sighed softly. "y'know what, bro... I just wanna go home. mind if we take a shortcut?"  
  
Sans hummed thoughtfully, regarding his brother for a moment before coming to a decision. "Normally, the Magnificent Sans would encourage exercise! But... I think in this case, it would be okay to skip it for once," he replied, and Papyrus smiled, holding out his hand. Sans took it and Papyrus pulled his magic around them, stepping into a shortcut with Sans.  
  
Both of them appeared in the living room, only to freeze at the sounds of dishes clanking quietly in the kitchen. They glanced at each other, then both made their way in, completely missing the amused looking tall skeleton on the couch behind them. When they stepped into the kitchen, both of them froze again. There, standing with his back to them and wearing Sans' apron over his crimson sweater, was Red. He was silently tending to what was likely leftovers, his black leather jacket hanging on the back of a chair.  
  
"...R-Red?" Papyrus questioned quietly. Said skeleton jerked then spun around before grinning widely.  
  
"papy, blue! welcome home!" he practically chirped, mood downright _chipper_. The brothers stared at him wide-socketed and frankly worried looking. Neither of them had ever seen Red _this_ cheerful.  
  
Neither of them seemed to be aware of the mischief on his face, either, having never had him pull anything on them before. "er... wasn't expecting you to be back so soon... everything... go okay?" Papyrus asked, and Red chuckled, eyelights locking on the silent figure behind the pair.  
  
"I'd say everything went swimmingly," a rough voice behind them commented. Papyrus and Sans both shrieked, whirling around. Red started cackling behind them, practically doubled over with laughter.  
  
"holy shit," Papyrus gasped, staring slightly upwards into the face of his heavily scarred and clearly still injured alternate before glancing back at Red. "you found him. you brought him back here," he murmured quietly. "shit, how fast did you manage to get your machine fixed?" he asked, then looked back at the other him. "...stars, and I thought Red was edgy-looking."  
  
Red grinned widely, stepping around and stopping next to his brother. "with the blueprints? it took maybe a couple hours to fix the machine. our hard work over here really paid off," he commented, a bit breathless from laughter. Before he could say anything more, Sans halted everything by launching himself at Red with a quiet cry, wrapping his arms around his slightly taller, dark alternate. "ah, shit, blue. i missed you, too," Red murmured, patting Sans on the back gently. Sans let go with a quiet sound, beaming at Red before switching to the other Papyrus.  
  
"Hello, other Papy!" he chirped. "I am the Magnificent Sans! You can call me Blue, though, if you want! That's what Red calls me, after all."  
  
The darker Papyrus snorted, though he was smiling. "Sans told me that I'd likely be receiving a ridiculous nickname," he stated, glancing over at Red.  
  
Papyrus canted his head, obviously considering. "...Edge," he said after a moment. Sans turned to give him a disapproving look, but Red was chuckling. His alternate seemed to be mulling over the potential nickname.  
  
"Hm. Sans was right. That is terrible," he commented, though the way he spoke hinted that he probably liked it in some strange way. There was clearly no complaint, at any rate. Papyrus grinned.  
  
"Edge it is, then," he returned with a grin.  
  
"Papy!!!" Sans chided, but it was too late. Red and Edge both wore amused grins on their faces.

\--------------------------------------------

The four of them ate a dinner of leftovers that night, despite Blue complaining about the fact that they should be having some grand feast to welcome Boss to their universe. Boss had looked amused, but Sans could tell that he'd appreciated the warm welcome he'd received. It was also clear that he was already becoming rather fond of the blueberry. Sans was glad about that.  
  
After dinner, Sans took Boss to go see Undyne about his injuries, though they'd already healed up a good amount from dinner. Boss was rather surprised to see just how shy the fish scientist was, considering their royal scientist wasn't shy in the slightest, but he'd been calm and thanked her for her help once she finished patching him up with her healing magic.  
  
By the time they got back, Papyrus and Blue had moved the mattress that had been Sans' bed back into Blue's room. Papyrus and Blue both knew exactly where Sans would be sleeping, and it certainly wouldn't have been that mattress, after all. They'd fallen into an easy arrangement of sharing Papyrus' bed over the months that he'd been there. The cuddling both eased Papyrus' nightmares and allowed Sans to fall into a deep, restful sleep that left him more energetic and not as likely to fall asleep during the day.  
  
"you two ready to head to bed? you both look kinda dead on your feet," Papyrus commented, browridges raised as he took in just how exhausted both darker skeletons looked.  
  
Sans yawned, leaning slightly against Boss for a moment. "nn, yeah. i'm beat. today was... kinda hell..." he muttered, turning and side-hugging Boss for a moment before stepping away and trudging up the stairs.  
  
Papyrus watched him a moment before turning to look at Edge. "you'll be sharing my little bro's room with him. I figure you two get along well enough that you won't kill each other during the night," he commented, laughing slightly.  
  
"I... _we_ shall be fine," Edge commented, staring after his brother for a moment before stopping Papyrus from leaving. "Listen. I've gathered over the evening that you and my brother are... quite close. When he got to me, I was apparently very close to dusting. I wouldn't know, given the fact that I'd been knocked out, but the fact remains that he'd been terrified by my condition," Edge said, sighing. "Sans has nightmares when he's stressed out. Please, look after him for me."  
  
Papyrus eyed Edge for a moment, then nodded, expression serious. "you got it, Edge. I'll make sure he'll be okay," he replied. Edge nodded, then turned away to figure out where Blue was as Papyrus headed upstairs.  
  
Red had just finished changing when Papyrus entered the room, and he turned, aiming a sleepy smile at the taller skeleton. "stars, i'm glad we managed ta get back so quick," he muttered, sitting down on the edge of the bed. Papyrus grinned back at him, simply stripping off his hoodie and cargo pants, leaving himself in just his black tank top and a pair of shorts.  
  
"honestly? I wasn't exactly looking forward to sleeping alone, either," Papyrus murmured, sitting next to Red and stroking his cheekbone gently. Red hummed and leaned into the touch. "you weren't even gone a full day and I missed you so much," he whispered, leaning in and touching his forehead to Red's.  
  
"...yeah, i get that. i missed ya before i even left this universe," Red replied, a crimson flush on his face as he admitted that. Papyrus chuckled quietly, pulling Red into a hug and smiling as the smaller snuggled closer with a soft, contented sigh. After a moment, they pulled away to climb into bed before Red cuddled in close again, making a happy little sound as Papyrus curled around him. It didn't take long for Red to fall asleep, the long day seeming to catch up to him.  
  
Papyrus, on the other hand, chose not to go to sleep. Edge's warning kept him just uneasy enough that sleep wouldn't easily come, even if he'd wanted to. The fact was, he didn't want to sleep. He knew he was just as deep a sleeper as Red when they were cuddled up like this, and he didn't want to risk not waking up while Red was having a stress-induced nightmare.  
  
Rather than sleeping, he spent his time gently stroking Red's skull, the lightest brush of his phalanges against the back of his bedmate's head, an occasional ghost of a touch against his cheek. It was soothing for him to keep up the mostly repetitive motion, and it seemed to be keeping Red's sleep deep and easy as well.  
  
His sockets were starting to drift closed hours later when Red showed the first sign of distress, brow furrowing and his nasal ridge scrunching slightly. Papyrus watched, concerned, but then drew Red closer, sitting up as Red started making quiet noises as well. "hey... hey, Red... it's okay. your brother is safe. you're safe... you're both home, where no one can hurt either of you," he whispered, stroking Red's skull comfortingly. The smaller skeleton didn't wake, but he did settle, snuggling into Papyrus' shoulder and making a more content, quiet sound.  
  
It was honestly still astonishing that Red could sleep through most anything as long as he was cuddled up to Papyrus, but the taller skeleton was glad for it. Red had looked so exhausted before getting to sleep. It had reminded him of when Red first showed up, looking practically dead on his feet with how tired he was. It hadn't gotten any better until that first night they'd shared a bed.  
  
Papyrus sighed softly, sleepiness once again dragging at him now that Red was settled again, but he didn't _want_ to sleep. He wanted to be awake to protect Red from whatever demons came for him in his sleep. Sitting helped, but he knew it wasn't good to sleep sitting up, so it was with a great sigh that he carefully adjusted until he was laying cuddle up with Red again.  
  
Papyrus woke to desperate screaming, the small skeleton in his arms thrashing. Reflexively, he tightened his hold, trying to keep from panicking and at the same time trying to keep Red from hurting either of them with his wild flailing. He couldn't sit up this time, too busy trying to keep hold of the wildly flailing skeleton. Red's tail hitting him wasn't helping either. He cursed softly as the limb struck his knee hard enough that it felt like it'd cracked, but he didn't otherwise react. Instead, he set to attempting to wake Red. "Red. come on, you gotta wake up," he called, carefully shaking him.  
  
At that moment, the door to his room burst open, Edge and Sans both coming in with wild eyelights. Sans looked frightened while Edge looked about ready to murder someone, eyes burning with magic. "Edge! help me wake him up!" Papyrus called desperately. The magic wafting from Edge's eyes flickered out, expression smoothing over slightly as he approached.  
  
"Let go and get out of the way," Edge ordered. When Papyrus looked reluctant, the taller Papyrus sighed. "Holding him like that when he's having a nightmare won't do anything but make him feel trapped," he explained. Papyrus nodded, then took a deep breath and let go before shortcutting to stand next to Edge. Unfortunately, his injured knee decided to give out on him, and Edge had to catch him. "...what happened?"  
  
"heh. Red's tail cracked me across the knee. nothing that can't be fixed. wasn't even any intent behind it, so it didn't damage my HP any," he replied, then pointedly looked at Red who was now thrashing violently on the bed, though his screams had reduced to pained whimpers.  
  
Edge nodded and carefully helped Papyrus lower himself to the floor before moving over to sit on the bed. His own tail lifted and coiled around Red's to keep it from hitting anyone or anything else, then he leaned forward, one hand resting on Red's chest, the other on his cheek. "Brother, you need to wake up. You are having a nightmare," he uttered, eyes and hands glowing with magic. The atmosphere of the room lightened with the pulses of calming energy radiating from Edge, and it seemed to work, too. Red appeared to be calming and was starting to come around.  
  
They all watched intently as Red's sockets flickered open, though his eyelights remained out, likely due to whatever he'd been suffering in his nightmare. Upon seeing Edge hovering over him, though, he let out a quiet sob, lunging up and wrapping his brother in a tight hug. Edge squawked comically, then hugged his older brother, petting Red's skull soothingly. "Sans? What happened in your nightmare?" Edge asked. Papyrus was rather impressed with how the younger skeleton was handling this. He'd figured everyone in Red's universe had been kinda emotionally stunted from what he'd heard about the place, but these two had somehow avoided that. Perhaps because they had each other?  
  
"i..." Red paused, taking in a shuddering breath, clearly trying to stop crying. "...didn't get there in time. ya dusted just as i got there... and when i arrived, i was- and they-..." Red shivered, bones rattling. "i know it didn't happen like that, but... it could have. if i'd gotten there a couple minutes later, it would have been too late..."  
  
"You got there on time, though. You saved me. That's all that matters," Edge replied, nuzzling the side of Red's skull, causing the smaller skeleton to let loose what sounded like a soft giggle, a faintly hysterical edge to it. He wasn't okay. Not by a long shot, and Papyrus knew there probably wouldn't be any more sleep tonight.  
  
Sans' hand coming down on his shoulder drew his attention and he looked over, raising a browridge. Sans signed, 'coffee' at him, canting his head slightly, and Papyrus nodded. 'Coming?' Sans signed, and Papyrus shook his head, motioning to his knee and signing back, 'hurt. don't think I can walk.' Sans nodded and left the room silently, leaving Papyrus to watch over the two darker skeletons.  
  
Papyrus had a feeling there'd be many nights like this to come, and certainly a good amount of guilt from Red over his knee while it healed... but he couldn't bring himself to care as he watched Edge sooth Red until the gold-toothed skeleton was dozing slightly in his arms. The wounds, physical and mental, would heal in time. He smiled, a surge of affectionate warmth pulsing in his soul for the two dark skeletons. Perhaps things would be a little rocky for a bit, but, he was happier than he'd been in ages, having Red there, and happier still that they'd managed to get Edge here as well. Things would be okay. He could feel it right down to his soul.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus has a nasty limp for a couple days after, but his knee recovers just fine. Red feels guilty as hell and tries to do everything for him until he can walk without limping. haha
> 
> and with this, we're done. Edge and Blue wind up becoming best friends, and Edge helps Blue get into the Royal Guard, after convincing Alphys that he could be a boon to the guard. and they live happily ever after. :)


End file.
